Souls Entwined Remake
by treesareunicorns13
Summary: This is the remake of my previous story, Souls Entwined. I hope you guys like it.
1. Chapter 1

Cobra and Bickslow were really starting to get on her nerves. Lucy could handle being looked at, a few glances here and there were fine. It was the constant staring that she had a problem with. Did they have nothing better to do than to sit there and stare at her? But the bigger question was; since when did Cobra and Bickslow become the best of friends? They were the last two people Lucy expected to become friends. She couldn't think of any reason as to what compelled the two men to gang up and make Lucy the focus of their attention. At the very least, it was unnerving and Lucy had had enough.

At the very least, she could sort of understand why Cobra would be so interested in her. Lucy figured that he still didn't trust anyone in the guild after joining. Cobra had been like this ever since he'd been forced to join a guild after being proven innocent of all the accused crimes against him. He refused to go on any missions with anyone and usually didn't spend much time in the guild other than to keep up regular appearances. Until a few weeks ago, when, out of nowhere, he became best friends with Bickslow.

Bickslow on the other hand had always been paying attention to her just a lot more now that Cobra was here. The motivation behind the attention was very different though. Usually it was just a few cat calls, even a possible "hello" but nothing major. Certainly not like anything they've been doing for the past three weeks. It was driving Lucy insane. She needed to leave the guild before she killed somebody. Levy could see Lucy's frustration and piped up from behind her book, "Why don't you go home and get some rest, Lu? I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow."

Lucy was grateful for an excuse to leave and smiled at Levy before saying her goodbyes and getting up to leave the guild. On the way home, she felt like someone was watching her. She had a chilling feeling running up her spine. She warily glanced over her shoulder and halted when she turned around and saw Cobra and Bickslow close behind. Part of her was creeped out that they had followed her in complete silence, obviously not wanting to be noticed and part of her was furious. They were really pushing their luck with following close behind her like a pair of lost puppies. Was privacy not a thing anymore? She glared at them, "What's wrong with you two?! Why are you following me?!"

Bickslow stuck out his tongue, "We need to talk to you Cosplayer". Cobra smirked but on the inside, he was nervous. What they were doing wasn't the conventional way to treat their mate but the two of them couldn't figure out any other way considering their shared history with the girl. Bickslow and Cobra both shared a glance at each other before gently grabbing hold of Lucy's arms and leading her towards her house. "How do you know where I live!?" Cobra winced a little from Lucy's shriek into his sensitive ear and replied, "I'm a Dragon slayer, Princess" Lucy was shocked at the nickname. If Cobra was one of her close friends, he would know that she despised being called a Princess. It brought back bad memories of her childhood.

Once they reached her house she quickly got out her keys and let them in. She shut the door behind them but didn't lock it just in case she needed to run. Lucy had no idea what these two were up to. The two men sat down on her couch while Lucy stood in the hallway, confused. They didn't even have the decency to be hesitant before making themselves be right at home. Lucy clenched her jaw in anger and huffed before sitting in the chair opposite them, wanting to be as far away from them as possible. She skeptically looked at them and guestured for them to start talking.

They finally showed a crack in their confident facade as Bickslow nervously cleared his throat and shifted on the couch, as though just the thought of speaking to Lucy made him uncomfortable. "Ahem, well Cosplayer, there's no easy way to say what I'm going to say. I don't think you'd appreciate some long-winded and stretched out speech so I'm going to go straight to the point.." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "..You're our mate".

Lucy wasn't sure if they were telling the truth or not. She sat there with her mouth gaping open in shock and astonishment. Mates? She thought they were a myth that mothers told their daughters to make them feel special. She hastily stood up and excused herself to the kitchen. Her mind was overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. Suddenly, she found it hard to breath and her eyes rolled back and her legs buckled as she collapsed onto the hard kitchen floor. Her body landed on the floor with a sudden thump and the two men rushed to the kitchen to find their mate lying on the floor, unconscious.

Quickly, Cobra leaned down and picked her up, carrying her to the bed and gently laying her on it. Bickslow could only bring himself to say, "That went well" in a pathetic attempt to try to lighten the mood. Cobra gave him a weak laugh and agreed, but he was more worried about his knocked out mate in front of him. Lucy's reaction was clear enough to the both of them that this wasn't going to get better overnight. Cobra just hoped that she wouldn't be too hasty to reject them, most likely not knowing about the damage a mate's rejection can cause.

Cobra and Bickslow patiently waited for their mate to awake. They sat apart from each other, in complete silence. Both of them were thinking about all of the talking and convincing that they would have to do to be able to persuade Lucy to give them a chance. Bickslow and Cobra had already come to terms with the fact that they would have to share, although that's not to say they were happy about it. Each man wanted Lucy for themselves. While they were deep in thought, Lucy showed signs of waking up. Her eyes slowly opened and she turned her head to look around the room. She sat up in bed rather quickly when she saw no signs of neither Bickslow, nor Cobra. Had it all been a dream? But then why did her head hurt? She stretched and yawned but jumped and fell of the bed when she heard two different chuckles coming from the doorway. "A dream? Princess, I thought you were smarter than that". Lucy jumped in surprise and frowned when Cobra used his magic to read her mind. It seemed that nothing about her would be private anymore. As they stood right in front of her bed, Lucy took the time to look around Bickslow's figure and noticed something. "Bickslow, where are your floating friends?" Bickslow laughed, "Well Cosplayer, my 'floating friends' are at my house since I didn't think you'd like the extra company".

Lucy was feeling rather embarrassed at being laughed at but neither man seemed to care about that. Lucy was quick to continue the conversation from before she fainted, not wanting to waste any time in getting answers. "What do you mean we're mates? How do you know?" Cobra briefly looked over at Bickslow before answering, "What we mean is that you are the one person we will spend our life with, since both of our magics cause us to need one. Dragon slayers need mates to be able to complete their training and Soul magic needs a mate to complete their souls and strengthen their magic. In short, without you, we won't be complete." Lucy's head was spinning with all of this new knowledge, how was she supposed to react to this news? It wasn't everyday that she was told that she was not only the mate to one of her past enemies but two!

"What are we going to do now then?". Lucy's tone reflected just how baffled she was about this whole situation. Bickslow shocked her with a surprisingly serious answer, "I think we should start by getting to know each other. It is all your decision but please give us the chance to show you that we have changed and to show you how much you mean to us". Lucy nodded in understanding; she knew he must be desperate if he was being serious. Rubbing her head, she slowly got up and looked at the two men in front of her, individually looking into their eyes. Their eyes begged for them and Lucy didn't have the heart to say no. She smiled at them, "Okay, we'll take it slow. Now get out, I'll meet you at the guild in the morning." She had enough to think about for one night and needed times to herself to process it all. She wasn't the least bit regretful when she 'kicked' them out of her house. If you consider a polite request and some nudging as kicking them out. Thankfully, they left with a swift goodbye and some light chuckling from Bickslow. Lucy locked her door behind them and headed back to bed, she needed to lie down again.


	2. Chapter 2

[Btw, a jumper is what people in Britain call a sweater.]

Frustrated beyond belief, Lucy sat cross legged on her bed, thinking about yesterday's events. They rushed through her head all at once and it was difficult for Lucy to make sense of it all. It was quite hard to get her head around the idea of having one mate, one sole person to spend eternity with but having two mates? It was going to be a challenge. She knew it wasn't a joke because no offense to Bickslow, but Lucy just didn't think he would be smart enough to go along with it.

Also, it explained a lot of things she'd noticed about the two. More specifically, the staring and how close they used to stand to Lucy even if there was lots of empty space in the guild. Come to think of it, whenever she asked a guy out within earshot, she always seemed to be stood up or they suddenly had no interest in her.

Lucy went over the pros and cons of her situation. She started with the cons first. Obviously, it would look bad if she suddenly started a relationship with two former enemies. Lucy didn't know if she would be able to handle the judgement, she was a textbook people pleaser and didn't like the idea of someone hating her. Another con would be that Lucy would have to deal with all of the jealousy. It was obvious that the two men weren't going to be the best at sharing. Cobra and Bickslow weren't the first to come to mind when she thought about considerate people.

On the other hand, Lucy knew how valuable a mate was to a Dragon slayer. Wendy and Gajeel had mentioned before that they would be treated with respect, compassion and love. There was nothing worth more to a Dragon slayer than his/her mate and Lucy presumed the same goes for Soul Magic. Lucy always knew that she was loved by many friends but she had always wanted to have someone to be just hers and for her to belong to someone. It was no secret that Lucy was a hopeless romantic and her situation was just like out of a fantasy novel. She had the choice to break both their hearts and possibly never find true love, or give them the chance they so desperately desired and possibly find herself the happiest she's ever been. Lucy chewed her lip in thought, when she put it like that, it was hard to disagree with.

Shaking her head, Lucy got out of her thoughts and stood up, stretching and walking towards her bathroom. Surprisingly, this morning she had awoken to find that she was in a Natsu-free bed. Not that she was complaining, he always made it too hot to sleep right and Lucy would feel disgusting as she always woke up covered in sweat. Lucy didn't know if it was because he was on a mission, or he finally realised that a locked window means she didn't want company, or maybe the scent of Cobra and Bickslow threw him off. If that was the case, maybe she should have them around more often.

Lucy walked over to her wardrobe and got dressed for the day. Recently, she had been trying out new outfits to find a different style, one that was more practical and comfortable to wear. After staring into her neatly organized clothes, she decided on on a white tank top, black leggings, knee high black boots and a baby pink woolly jumper since it was cold outside. It was nearly summer but today's weather didn't look so good, if the dark clouds were anything to go by and Lucy didn't want to risk a cold. She also tied her hair up into to a messy bun and wrapped a white scarf around her neck. She wrapped her belt around her waist and clasped her keys onto the loop on the belt. On a recent mission, she had gotten a new belt that had a charm on it so that no one would be able to steal it. Since buying it, she was more at ease, knowing that no one could take her keys and she would be left vulnerable.

Humming a small tune to herself, she walked along the side of the pier like always. She had been tempted to try balancing along the edge but didn't want to take the risk of falling into the icy water. She had reached the guild in about ten minutes and many people were curious towards Lucy's clothing choice but didn't say anything. After all, it was her decision to wear what she wanted, although Wakaba and Macao were very disappointed indeed. After doing a quick scan of the guild, she found that she was one of the first people here so she didn't see Levy or anyone from team Natsu. She saw Mira behind the bar and smiled, walking over to her and sitting down on one of the stools, right in the middle. Mira smiled, "Good morning Lucy, what can I get you?" Lucy pretended to think, "Can I have a strawberry smoothie please?"

As Lucy was drinking the smoothie, she heard the guild doors open and watched as Levy scurried inside from the cold. The petite, blue-haired girl rushed to her usual corner and tried to warm herself up. Lucy thanked Mira for the smoothie then walked over to sit next to Levy. Instantly, she felt two small arms around her, "Good morning Lu-Chan, you're so warm. I should have done the sensible thing like you and worn a jumper." Lucy giggled and hugged Levy back before giving her a serious look. She turned in her seat to face Levy, "Something happened last night and I don't know what to do." Levy gasped, but looked ready to help her. Levy was always so supportive and helpful, it was why she was Lucy's best friend.

Lucy slowly explained yesterday's events to her in detail, telling her everything that happened with Cobra and Bickslow and what they had told her. Levy said nothing the whole time that Lucy was talking but smiled at her when she finished. Levy leaned in close to Lucy, "I'm going to tell you a secret Lu-Chan, that was almost how Gajeel told me that we were mates". Lucy wasn't really shocked at this new information but pretended to be for Levy, "What, you're mates?" she said in a very quiet voice as to not gain any unwanted attention. She was happy that Levy was with the man of her dreams. Levy eagerly nodded, "Yes and he answered all of my questions and he told me that it was actually common for some dragon slayers to share a mate with other rare magic users. But he could sense that there wasn't a third mate with us because he felt complete with me." Levy blushed as she spoke and Lucy smiled, "Aww~". Lucy received a small slap on the arm but she laughed it off.

Levy got her attention again by clearing her throat to show she wasn't finished talking, "My best advice is to just go along with it, you can be very happy with them if you commit yourself to your relationship. I've never been happier since I've been with Gajeel. You could be like that as well Lucy". Lucy nodded and thought it over and she knew that all she ever wanted was someone to love her and take care of her. By giving Cobra and Bickslow that chance, she could get everything she's ever wanted. She concluded that she would commit herself to the relationship and would try making it work. The only thing that she struggled with was the fact that it was two men and not just one. It would be hard for her to divide her attention equally between the two men.

The two girls sat talking about anything they could think of while waiting for Cobra and Bickslow to arrive. They didn't arrive together of course. Bickslow was the first to enter into the guild with the rest of the Thunder God tribe and looked over at Lucy but she couldn't tell what he was feeling with his mask on. Cobra arrived almost an hour after Bickslow and sat at the bar. It wasn't long before Bickslow made an excuse to sit next to Cobra on the stools and Lucy could see the two talking to each other but they were too far away to know what was being said. Lucy looked over at Levy who gave her a smile and two thumbs up, "You can do it Lu-Chan!"

Lucy hesitantly got up and walked over to Cobra and Bickslow who didn't even try to hide their enthusiasm to Lucy approaching them. She looked downout of nervousness, "Will you come to my house at five please, there's something we need to discuss". Cobra was the first to respond, "Of course Princess, why wouldn't I?" Lucy was still a bit agitated with her new nickname since she still attached negative thoughts and feeling to it. She looked up to lock eyes with Bickslow, well, lock eyes with his mask more like. He gave her a small nod, not being able to find any words to speak.

Lucy assumed that he had told his team mates about the situation with her since they were all staring down at her and glancing back and forth between her, Bickslow and Cobra. Of course, this made sense considering Laxus was a Dragon Slayer and would likely know all about mates, even if he didn't have a Dragon to teach him about it. Lucy awkwardly smiled at the two men before turning around and walking back to Levy's table in the corner. They talked away for most of the afternoon, with Levy doing a great job of distracting Lucy's thoughts until she realised the time. She gave Levy a goodbye hug and promised to tell her how everything went the next morning.

Lucy's boots clicking against the cobble path was the only sound that she heard as she walked home. She had her arms wrapped around herself due to the growing cold winds that attacked her body. Her pace increased to reach her house quicker and she finally escaped the cold and was safe inside the warmth of her house. Lucy sat on her couch with one leg propped over the other and shifted in anticipation every so often. She was worried about this, she didn't have a clue what she was getting herself into. Just as she started to feel that this wasn't a good idea, she heard a knock on her door.


	3. Chapter 3

Braving her fears, Lucy opened the door and came face to face with the two people on her mind. She stepped aside, a silent invitation for them to come inside. Hearing small giggles, she watched as Bickslow's dolls all follow him inside. Lucy closed the door behind them and watched as they sat on opposite ends of the couch she had recently occupied. It was clear that they wanted her to fill the space between them, a very literate metaphor but she chose to stand in front of them. She was feeling too restless to sit and stay calm.

She took a deep breath and faced the two men as they expectedly looked at her, "The reason that I wanted us all to be here was so we could try to work this out. I mean, how is this going to work? I've never even dated one man before nevermind being involved in something as committed as having two mates." As she spoke, Lucy could feel herself getting more worked up and stopped to calm herself. Sensing her discomfort, Cobra leaned over in his seat, "We'll just take things slowly and make sure that you're okay with everything before taking the next step". Lucy may have been shocked at the sincerity in his voice but she found comfort in it and simply nodded. There was a comfortable silence for a few moments before Bickslow interrupted.

"You've never been in a relationship before, Cosplayer?" Lucy's eye twitched as she threw a pillow at him. She felt some satisfaction as it hit him right in his smug little face. Despite her slight discomfort on their situation, she found herself becoming more relaxed, as though she was talking with her two best friends. With all three of them so deep in conversation, no one noticed the time slip away. They shook out of their small bubble of contentment when Lucy's clock ticked loud, showing that it was quite late in the night. Clearing her throat, Lucy stood up, "Well it was fun to talk with you I guess. Um, goodnight." Lucy inwardly cringed at herself, she felt like an awkward teenager around the older boys. Cobra and Bickslow both got up and headed out but not before each of them gave her a small kiss on her cheek. "See you later, Cosplayer" and "Sweet dreams, Princess" echoed through the room as she shut the door behind them. When the two men left, she found herself disappointed as she was enjoying their company. She shook her head, she shouldn't let her walls down so easily. It was only going to end badly.

Yes, she had agreed to give them a chance but it had been a day and already things were moving too quickly for Lucy's liking. But she couldn't help it. Now that she had sort of accepted them as her mates, there was a pull towards them that Lucy found very difficult to ignore. She needed to take things slow, to make sure that this was something she wanted and to make sure that she wasn't going to get hurt from this.

Lucy stopped thinking about it and went to take a bath to clear her head. She went to the bathroom and switched on the taps, undressed and got in. She used this time to let the stress of the day leave her body and mind. It was only until Lucy felt herself start to fall asleep that she got out of the bath and went to bed. Her clock showed that it was actually midnight which meant that Lucy better go to sleep otherwise she would be too tired to go on her mission in the morning. Lucy had picked a mission to complete with Levy, since she was getting rather lonely without Gajeel. Lucy was also feeling a bit left out after team Natsu had left to complete a mission without her. She wasn't strong enough, they'd told her. They both decided to do a mission together to distract them. It wasn't particularly hard and Lucy was running a little low on money to pay her rent anyway. The job was to help rebuild a small town that had been attacked by recently defeated Wyverns.

Lucy started packing for her trip as she would definitely be there for more than one day. She packed a weeks worth of warm clothing and washing products as well as some money she might need. Lucy then went to bed and drifted into a deep sleep. She dreamed of a crimson haired man with a scar over his eye and a certain soul Mage with glowing green eyes. When she awoke, she was left hot and breathless but unable to remember the dream itself. She just knew it was about the new additions in her life.

In need of a good wash, Lucy took a quick shower and washed her hair, being quick to try and towel dry it. She then hurried to pick out her clothes, a dark green, long sleeved top, black skinny jeans, knee high leather boots, a dark green thick jumper and tied her hair into a messy bun. She remembered that she had suggested to Cobra and Bickslow to meet her today at five again but had forgotten that she had a job. She picked up her bag and rushed to the guild, hoping they would be there. She didn't want to send them the wrong message by telling them to come when she wasn't there. Or worse, make them worry when they couldn't find her. Thankfully, she had found them seemingly bickering at the bar. She panted as she reached them, trying to gain her breath back before she spoke, "I'm really sorry but you can't come over tonight, I forgot I'm supposed to be going on a mission with Levy." Her words came out rather fast and slightly jumbled but she guessed they got the idea.

She hoped that they wouldn't get mad at her or anything. Bickslow gestured towards her suitcase, "How long are you going for, Cosplayer?" His little dolls echoed his question and Lucy mumbled, "About three days..most likely more." The two were instantly up on their feet, "Well it looks like we're coming with you, Princess." Lucy looked between the two men in frustration. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Lucy denied their request as it was only for two Mages and they wouldn't make the train if they went home and packed right now. Sulking, they both turned to head back to their respective tables. Before they could, Lucy have them both a hesitant, quick hug goodbye. It was an action they were all shocked at so Lucy decided to run out of there at head for the train so they wouldn't see her blush. Their keen eyes didn't miss her blush but they were glad she left so they didn't see their goofy grins and warm smiles that disappeared when they started to get strange looks from some people in the guild.

Levy was already at the train station waiting for Lucy and perked up when she saw her blonde friend running towards her. They both made it on the train when they realised that there was only one other person in the same compartment as them. Lucy hovered her hand over Horologium's key which told her that it was only seven in the morning. She hadn't realised how early it was. Never the less, the quicker she got this job done, the quicker she got to go back home. The job reward was 100,000 jewels and a silver key, which was what Lucy was looking forward to the most. She couldn't wait to have another friend.

The train arrived at the town at ten in the morning and Lucy stretched before summoning Plue to walk with her and Levy to the Mayor's office. As the two girls walked through the streets, she saw many people living on the streets and pavements as their houses had been completely destroyed. It brought many tears to both their eyes but they quickly wiped them away before knocking on the Mayor's door. A thin man with dark circles around his eyes appeared at the door. This attack must have hit the town harder than Lucy originally thought. "Thank god you came, we were beginning to think no one would take the job. This town needs your help but I'm sure you noticed that on your way here." The Mayor dragged her to the streets and told her to start working, she would be allowed to stop at noon for lunch and at eight for the day. Lucy and Levy looked at each other. Levy sighed, "Well, we best start working Lu-Chan or we'll never get this done on time." Lucy nodded and selected a few keys to summon.

Since the GMG, Lucy had been training herself so that she could have more spirits out at one time and keep them held open for longer. She could even use Urano Metria twice without feeling a huge drain in her magic. Lucy summoned Loke, Virgo, Taurus, Sagittarius and Gemini. She had Sagittarius and Taurus start on rebuilding the houses that had been wiped out with Loke and Virgo grabbing materials from different places and bringing them to the town. She also had Gemini turn into Ultear to use her Time Magic on the houses that had been partially broken. Levy complained that it wasn't fair Lucy had so much help but Levys magic allowed her to literally create houses just by writing the word.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy had thought the mission would be difficult but it wasn't and it didn't even drain much of her magic. Although, it was physically exhausting. Levy and Lucy completed renovating the whole town on the third night so they would be able to leave in the morning. Though the reason it didn't take as long as they had thought was probably because of Gemini, since they could transform into whoever Lucy wanted. Levy had allowed Lucy to keep all of the reward money, because she only really came on the mission to keep herself busy and have company. They took the first train back to Magnolia in the morning. It was 11 in the morning by the time the train had reached Magnolia and Lucy went straight home and put all of her stuff away, promising to meet Levy later at the guild.

The first thing that Lucy did was take a quick shower and changed into a white long sleeved button up shirt, navy blue leggings, black ankle boots and her belt around her waist. She didn't wear a jumper or coat since the weather was a bit hot today. However, she had decided to wear a thin sheer cardigan just to complete her look. She added the new key onto the loop on her belt, put the extra 30,000 jewels in a locked box under her bed (it could only be opened by her magic) and gave the other 70,000 to her landlady. Lucy was too eager to see her nakama that her new key would have to wait.

Lucy walked to guild so that by the time she got there it was half three and most likely the guild would be full up. Lucy then realised that her teammates would be back from their own missions they had taken for their rent, well everyone except Erza, she had taken a special S Class mission that made sure she would be gone at least a month. Lucy opened the doors to find a blur of blue launching at her chest as well as its pink haired friend with duplicate cries of, "Lucy!". Natsu's head was right next to Lucy's breasts and she froze from the feeling of two intense gazes on her.

In a panic, Lucy quickly shoved Natsu off of her chest and onto the floor. It wasn't enough and it didn't stop the two men walking towards her and Natsu with furious expressions on their faces. Bickslow took ahold of Lucy and brought her close to his chest while Cobra picked Natsu up by his collar and growled into his face. "Get your hands off my mate! If I ever see you touching her again, I'll make sure they won't find the body got it" Cobra's deadly voice was making Lucy feel more than a bit scared.

But she was brought back to reality by Bickslow's strong arm around her waist and shoulders. He led her to a table near to Mira's counter, Lucy didn't want to go there, she knew what would be coming, "Lucy why didn't you tell me that you had two mates, I could have started planning your wedding by now, it'll be a big reception with...think of the children, Crimson hair and brown eyes or blonde hair and purple eyes or blue hair and brown eyes or blonde hair and green eyes, there's so many possibilities..." Lucy felt herself start to panic. Every one was watching her now, all eyes focused on the blonde mage. All sounds around her started to distorted and fade away. The faces around her seemed to blur and move closer. Everyone was asking so many questions.

She shoved herself out of Bickslow's embrace and looked between Cobra, Bickslow and Mira. But what really broke her was the look of betrayal on Natsu's face as he stared at her from the background. Lucy could feel her eyes water and her body started to tremble. It was all too much. "Leave me alone! I never asked for any of this!" She then promptly turned and ran out of the guild on shaky legs. She ran until she couldn't hear the cries of her friends behind her. She ran until her legs were numb and yet, at the same time, on fire. She ran until she had no more tears to shed.

Lucy found herself in a park just on the outside of Magnolia. It was covered in the most beautiful gardens and trees in full blossom. There were lots of children playing and parents smiling and laughing with each other. It was a scene of joy and Lucy felt out of place with her sorrow-filled aura and tear-stricken face. She made her way to a patch of shade under an oak tree and sat with her back resting against the rough bark. She pulled her knees close to her chest and rested her forehead ontop of them. Her mind was plagued with doubt, what had she been thinking? Did she really think that it would be a good idea to say yes to them?

She was a fool to believe that this was what she wanted. How would she know? Lucy hated to admit it but she had never been in a serious relationship before. If she didn't know how to deal with the responsibility of committing to one man in her life, then how in the world was she supposed to do it with two? Yes, Cobra and Bickslow have changed, she couldn't deny that. But something didn't feel right. She hadn't allowed herself time to think. They said that they would take it slow but it was all moving far too quickly. It had been less than a week and they were already telling people that they were mates. They had robbed Lucy the decision to refuse their bond. Should she decide to live a life without them by her side, her minna would surely judge her for it and never see her the same way. But if she accepted them, the outside world wouldn't be too pleased about it. It wouldn't look good for Lucy to be around two men all of the time, especially two men that she had fought against in the past.

Holding herself closer to the tree, she felt her heart ache. Lucy regretted her short outburst but there was nothing she could do to take it back. Would Cobra and Bickslow take it as her refusing their bond? She didn't know but Lucy didn't want to know at the moment. She just wanted to be alone, she wanted life to go back to how it was a week ago. When she was oblivious to the fact that she was anyone's mate. Lucy wished they had waited. She wished that they had got to know her first. It was selfish of them to assume that Lucy wanted to be theirs. They had essentially taken control of her life. If she agreed to them, she wouldn't be able to do anything without them knowing about it. She doubted she would be trusted to go anywhere alone or hang out with her friends.

Natsu was one of her closest friends. Her first friend from Fairy Tail. And seeing how Cobra and Bickslow reacted to him giving her a simple hug, she knew that she wouldn't be able to do that again. She probably wouldn't be able to go on missions as a part of Team Natsu anymore. She wouldn't be able to enjoy a peaceful sleep in her bed by herself anymore. She wouldn't be able to have a sense of freedom anymore. Was she really going to sacrifice everything for the happiness of two people she didn't know? Lucy knew that Cobra and Bickslow were safe to be around but she didn't really know them. She doesn't know who they are.

Lucy stayed, resting against the tree until the shadow of the clouds covered out all the sunlight. Sighing, she brushed her fingers over Horologium's key. His key glowed as he sent a telepathic message to say that it was nearing ten 'o clock at night. Taking in a deep breath, Lucy slowly stood up onto her sore legs and cursed under her breath. She regretted running so far away. Taking her time, she forced her legs to take her back in the direction of her home. The empty streets didn't bother her as much as they would have if she wasn't too busy festering in her own self-pity. Out of boredom, she weakly kicked a small rock and watched as it rolled along the pathway. Whether it was the pain in her legs distracting her or her overbearing thoughts, she was unable to hear the crack of lightening behind her. A large hand grabbed onto her shoulder and Lucy let out a piercing scream.


	5. Chapter 5

Laxus' hand covered Lucy's mouth, "Woah Blondie, calm down." Small fists pounded against his chest as Lucy worked out her anger. She pulled away from the large man, "Calm down?! Calm down?! How about you walk up to people in a normal way instead of creeping up behind them!" Lucy's face burned bright red in fury as she glared up at Laxus. Even though the towering blonde Dragon Slayer still made her uncomfortable, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind in front of anyone. Laxus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the petite woman in front of him. There was a silence between them as Lucy slowly calmed down and lost all her anger. Once she was fine, she directed her attention to the ground, digging her foot against the cobble. "What are you even doing here Laxus?"

She heard a scoff, "Tch, shouldn't I be asking you that? I know you don't live anywhere near here." Turning her head to the side, she refused to answer him. If he wasn't going to answer her questions then she wasn't going to talk to him at all. Although she was still confused as to why he was talking to her in the first place. A deep sigh filled her ears and Lucy glanced back over to Laxus, seeing him rub his temples with his thumb and pointer finger. "I'm here because Bickslow is one of my closest friends and if you get hurt, he'll be upset. Okay?" His words seemed forced but Lucy knew that it was just because he didn't want to admit to the truth behind them. She slowly nodded, "So...you're gonna take me home?" Her tone was laced with hope as she really didn't want to spend the next hour or so walking back on her already aching feet.

"Yeah, I'll take you home Blondie. But remember, this is just for Bickslow. You better not tell anyone I'm being nice." Lucy scoffed, "Who would believe me anyway?" Laxus didn't say anything in return but reached out to grab Lucy's arm and pull her close as he used his lightning teleportation to take them outside Lucy's house. Groaning, Lucy's hands desperately held her temples, suddenly experiencing a particularly bad headache. Laxus chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I should've warned you about that." The taunting undertone confirmed Lucy's suspicion that he hadn't told her on purpose. As she was about to unlock her front door, she heard Laxus clear his throat. "Hey Blondie," there was a small pause and Lucy stopped to listen, "Bickslow is a great guy and you should give him a chance."

Unable to find the words to speak, Lucy nodded her head once before stepping inside her house and locking the door behind her. She let out a deep breath, leaning against the wall of her corridor. Was anything going to be normal from now on? Laxus was being nice to her, what was up with that? Lucy knew that he had changed but surely he hadn't changed that much. Or maybe, Bickslow was just that great of a guy that he could turn a guy like Laxus into a huge softie. Granted, he hadn't told her about the inevitable migraine she would get from teleporting, but she guessed that it was just a small threat to balance out his one act of kindness.

Completely worn out for the day, Lucy headed straight to her bedroom and promptly collapsed onto her bed. She lay in her clothes, depleted off all energy to remove them. Lucy's head had touched the pillow for less than a second before she was pulled into a deep sleep.

Dazed and sore, Lucy woke up the next morning and felt like she had walked on a bed of hot coal. Her feet her in agony. She was confused until the events of yesterday all came back to her at once. Lucy didn't think that she would have the energy or motivation to go into the guild today. Not after the scene she caused. She was almost a hundred percent sure that they would all think of her as completely heartless. She remembered the shocked face of Mira, the look of betrayal on Natsu and the matching heartbroken expressions on Cobra and Bickslows face. Even though his mask had covered his eyes, it didn't take a genius to know that her words had struck something in him.

Despite the cruelty behind her words, what she said was true. Lucy didn't ask to be put in such a difficult situation. Had it just been Bickslow or just Cobra, then it would be different. It was easy to give everything to one person. It was easy to love one person. It's not easy to divide and share your time and affection between two people in your life. What she really needed was time to herself to think things over before she allowed herself to fully commit to her decision. If she had properly done this before, she didn't think that an event such as yesterday, would have happened.

Ready to start the day, Lucy got out of bed and headed to her bathroom. She stripped off her clothes from last night and threw them into her laundry basket. She ran her shower and slowly stepped into the bathtub, allowing her body to adjust to the temperature change. She quickly tied her hair up into a bun and covered it with a shower cap since her hair didn't need to be washed. The warm water helped to relax her muscles and for a moment, Lucy forgot all about Cobra, and Bickslow, and Mira, she forgot about everyone in the guild. But her peace was short-lived as she felt her skin start to get a little wrinkly. Turning off the taps, she got out of the bathtub and wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel.

She dried her feet on her bath mat and walked back into her bedroom to sit on the foot of her bed. Staring at her wardrobe, Lucy contemplates wether it was worth it to even get dressed. She was still undecided on what she was going to do today. A glance over at her ring of keys reminded Lucy of the new key that she had gotten with the reward from her and Levy's mission. She had yet to make a contract with them but Lucy still had some leftover money from her rent. With a small smile on her face, she decided to get dressed and go looking to see if any of the stores around her area sold any keys that she could buy. Filled with newfound motivation, Lucy quickly dried herself and put on a matching pair of plain white underwear. She then picked out a simple white, short-sleeved dress that was form-fitting around her torso and the fabric went in at her waist but flowed around her hips and thighs. Finishing off her outfit, she chose a pair of white pumps and put on a thin grey cardigan. Finally, she put on her belt around her waist and put her hair up into a bun, not wanting the back of her neck to get too hot. The summer weather was starting to come and it looked to be very sunny outside. Hopefully what she was wearing wouldn't make her too hot or too cold.

Looking over herself in the mirror, she gave herself a small smile and walked out of her house, making sure to lock the door behind her. There wasn't many people in the streets, other than the regulars that Lucy greeted everyday on her way to the guild. She got a few compliments on her outfit which made her blush. Listening to the soft clinks her shoes made against the stone path was rather relaxing as she walked towards a quaint little store where Lucy often checked for keys. As luck would have it, her blue eyes caught a glimpse of silver in the corner and she had to stop herself from rushing inside. The owner was a kind but timid elderly woman who slowly warmed up to Lucy.

Biting her lip to stop herself from squealing in joy, Lucy held the glass box that held a silver key inside. It had been priced a little higher than Lucy had expected but it was worth it. She quickly made her way towards the counter, as though the key would disappear from her hands if she didn't buy it right this second. The older woman looked at the item in Lucy's hands, "Ah yes, I was wondering when you would come to visit. Don't tell anyone but I did my best to reserve it for you." Lucy gave her a warm smile, "Thank you so much, that was very kind of you." She handed over the money before exchanging goodbyes and leaving the store. Dainty fingers skillfully hooked the key onto her ring and Lucy beamed at the two new additions to her family. Just as Lucy was about to start walking back home, a small hand grasped her wrist. Lucy spun around to see a familiar blue haired girl and her exceed looking up at her.


	6. Chapter 6

Wendy instantly looked down at her hands, "Um, I just wanted to check up on you Lucy. You left very sudden yesterday and we were all very worried about you." The girl's words made Lucy's heart ache. Her suspicions had been true and now it was going to be even harder to take that first step back into the guild. There was a slight pause as Lucy tried to find the words to speak, "Yes, well you don't need to worry. I'm perfectly fine. I was just about to-". Lucy was quickly cut off by Wendy, "Great! Then you can come back with us, everyone will be happy to see you again." Wendy gripped Lucy's wrist and started pulling her towards the guild, the opposite direction of her home. A lot of bystanders looked on at the two girls but Lucy supposed it must have looked rather amusing to watch a little girl dragging a fully grown woman in the street while her cat flew above them.

Lucy felt nauseous as the outline of the guild got closer and closer. It was only until Wendy burst open the doors, guiding Lucy inside, when she felt the full force of her nervousness hit. Thankfully, Wendy didn't stop and continued to lead over to the table that held team Natsu and Juvia. Erza was still missing from the group, though that was probably for the best. Lucy was unsure on how she would take the news. Gray and Natsu were sitting on opposite sides of the table, with Juvia pressed against Gray's side. Wendy gently nudged Natsu out of the way to make room for herself, Lucy and Carla. There was some silence before Juvia spoke up, "You look really pretty today Lu-Chan!" Confusion overtook Lucy as she tried to comprehend what Juvia just said.

Since when did Juvia act nice towards Lucy? Then it hit her, since Juvia heard that Lucy was someone else's mate, that meant she wasn't a love rival anymore. Not that she was to begin with. Gray was conflicted on what to say and it showed on his face. He sighed, "Look, I'm not gonna say I'm pleased about this but you can't help who your mates are. If you're happy then I'm happy for you." Lucy grimaced, she wasn't happy but she chose not to say anything back. All eyes turned to Natsu but he was silent and his head was hanging low. Lucy was worried, this was very unlike him. It was near impossible to know what he was going to say. After a long pause of silence at the table, Natsu looked over at Lucy. His expression showed that he was annoyed.

"You can't be mates with them." For once, Natsu kept his tone quiet but Lucy found it to be quite unnerving. She kept her voice calm as well, not wanting to upset him further, "Why is that?" He frowned before looking down at his lap. Everyone around the table was focused on Natsu as he inhaled. Lucy could've sworn that she saw his eyes start to water but from her angle she couldn't be sure. "Because I don't want to lose my best friend." Wendy moved out of the way, along with Carla, so that Lucy could move closer to Natsu. Feeling her heart break, she quickly moved forward to pull Natsu into a hug, "Oh, don't be silly, you'll never lose me as your best friend." Lucy smiled when she felt Natsu's arms around her. The moment between them was ruined for Lucy when she felt the familiar sense that someone was watching her. Having a good idea of who it was, she didn't turn around.

Lucy slowly pulled away from the hug to see that everyone had moved to a different part of the guild to give the two some privacy. Natsu raised his head to look at Lucy and she gave him a soft smile and playfully ruffled his hair, "Are we good again?" Natsu nodded eagerly, "Yeah, I missed you on that mission Luce. You should've been there.." Usually when Natsu went off on his rants about what happened during a mission that Lucy didn't attend, she found it quite irritating. However, it was very pleasing to Lucy as it meant that he was back to his normal self with her. Just as Natsu was telling her about a battle he had with a Wyvern, Lucy was pulled into a tight hug and felt her face squished against someone's chest.

The long white hair brushing against her face revealed that it was Mira's arms that were squeezing the life out of her. "I'm so sorry Lucy! I didn't mean to upset you, I just got excited. You never tell me about your love life and I just-" Lucy pressed her hand over Mira's mouth to make her stop talking. She used all her energy to wiggle out of Mira's grasp and straighten her dress, "It's okay Mira, I'm not mad at you." Lucy smiled at Mira which had her pulled into another bone-crushing embrace. "I promise I won't do it again. Just don't run off like that, you had me so worried." Lucy tried to nod but was mainly focused on trying to breath.

"Hey Mira, let Blondie breath." Mira let go of her and Lucy gasped for air, leaning over slightly. She glanced up at Laxus, "Thanks." He gave her a subtle nod, "So, are you going to give them a chance?" Lucy opened her mouth to speak but was suddenly tackled to the ground. What was up with everyone today?! Lucy twisted to see Levy on top of her, clinging tightly onto her. "Lu-Chan! You're back! Where did you go? Are you hurt? Were you safe?" Lucy gently pushed the blue-haired girl off her so she could sit up, "I went to a lot of places, I'm not hurt and yes I was safe." Levy nodded but still checked over Lucy for any injuries. During her check, Levy spotted the two new keys on Lucy's belt. "Oh? Who are they? Have you made contracts with them yet?"

Lucy shook her head, "No I haven't... Do you want to come with me when I do?" Levy gasped and clasped her hands together, "Of course!" Lucy chuckled, Levy liked her spirits almost as much as Lucy did. Levy got up and reached out her hand to help Lucy up off the floor. Straightening her dress and brushing off any dust that got on it, Lucy looked around the room. She braved a quick peak up at the Thunder God Tribe's table to see Bickslow looking right back at her. She was unable to stop the blush appearing on her cheeks from being caught out. A small scan of the rest of the guild showed no sign of Cobra though. Thankfully, Levy didn't notice or just didn't say anything and lead her towards the back exit of the guild. Not many people knew about the training fields behind the guild, even some members of Fairy Tail were oblivious to it.

Once Lucy was in the middle of the first field, she held the key she had gotten from her recent mission with Levy. Examining the inscription, she looked at it for a second, then shouted, "Gate of the Chameleon, I open thee, Celare!" A bright light appeared and out stepped a young girl who looked the same age as Wendy but since she was a spirit she could be well over 500 years old. The girl had short brown hair, styled like Lisanna, with tanned skin and deep green eyes with specks of gold. She wore a plain, beige, cotton dress that hung loose apart from the ribbon around her waist that kept it attached to her body. Glancing down at her feet, Lucy took notice that she wasn't wearing any shoes. Excited to make a new friend, Lucy smiled at her, "Would you like to make a contract?" Celare smiled and after a few questions the contract was formed. She bowed low, "I look forward to serving you, Master" Lucy's eyes had some pity in them. She couldn't believe how badly spirits were treated; they are not slaves, "I'm not your master, you're a human being. You call me Lucy or princess if you wish. A lot of my other spirits call me that. You may be a spirit but you're also my friend." Celare was pleasantly surprised. She swiftly left after saying, "I choose Princess, Princess".

Lucy was very happy with the new addition to her family. She looked over at Levy who was in awe, "She would be very useful in battle and she was so adorable too!" Lucy laughed but agreed with her, "I agree." Levy waved her hand as a sign of impatience, "Okay now do the next one, it looks very interesting." Lucy picked up the key she had just bought that morning and twirled it in her hands. It had jagged stripes wrapped around the key which made it feel slightly peculiar and unlike any other key she possessed. She held the key out in front of her and shouted out, "Gate of the Tiger, I open thee, Tigress!" Once more, a bright light appeared and a tall, muscular woman stood in front of the two girls. She had long hair that had been parted at the right side and the whole right side of her head had been shaved off, making her look more intimidating. Lucy supposed that was a good thing, but she didn't want to be scared of her own spirits. The woman wore an outfit that was similar to Lisana's tigress form but the colours were orange and black instead. It showed off most of her impressive physique, which left Lucy in awe. The woman also had dark skin and piercing blue eyes. The contract started and Lucy couldn't quite place the spirit's accent but she found it very alluring. Completing a contract was very simple so it was soon finished and before she left, Tigress said, "I have been made aware that you prefer to be called Princess. I look forward to be working with you and now I have to brag to Loke that his Princess is now mine as well.". Lucy hadn't realised that she'd known Loke but then again she didn't ask.

Lucy and Levy headed back inside the guild but they walked past the bar to get back to where they were sitting before. In the corner of her eye, she saw Cobra and Bickslow at the bar with Mira. They were talking about something when they turned to look at Lucy as she walked past. She tried to make it look like she hadn't seen the two men but Lucy had never been the greatest actress. Just as the two girls were about to sit down, Levy whispered in Lucy's ear, "I think you should go talk to them. I'll make sure that no one bothers you." Lucy chewed on the inside of her cheek before slowly turning on her heel and walking towards the bar. Her nerves were starting to get the better of her but no one seemed to be watching her. Well except, Cobra, Bickslow and Mira. Mira had a smile on her face and threw her a thumbs up while Cobra and Bickslow had their backs to Mira.


	7. Chapter 7

Taking her time to approach the bar, she didn't know wether to sit or to stand. She moved to the left, going to sit on the seat next to Bickslow when the man in question moved over to leave a gap between Cobra and himself. Given no choice, Lucy hesitantly sat on the stool in the middle of the two men. Both Cobra and Bickslow turned to look at Mira, as a sign to tell her to give them some privacy. For a while, Lucy didn't speak. She couldn't find the words to say, nor the confidence to speak them. Thankfully, she didn't have to. Bickslow turned in his chair, "We get it, you're afraid. We'll understand any decision that you make, as long as you're happy." Cobra was the next one to speak up, "We wouldn't want to do anything that you're not comfortable with. Having two mates is difficult, we both know that, but we promised that we would take it slow. Admittedly, we got a little too excited about you giving us a chance and we didn't think about what we were doing before."

Listening to them speak, Lucy felt some weight come off her shoulders. She gave them both a small smile and a gentle nod, "Okay, I did say I would give you a chance so it would only be fair to actually give you that chance." Bickslow nodded, "Thank you Lucy." The girl blushed when she heard her name come out of Bickslows mouth. It was unusual to hear him call her anything but 'Cosplayer' and to her surprise, she rather liked the way her name sounded in his voice. Unfortunately for Lucy, both Bickslow and Cobra were quick to notice her blush and she got a glimpse of Bickslow's growing smirk as she left.

She headed over to Levy's table to let her know that she was going home to find her and Gajeel deep in conversation. Not wanting to disturb them or anyone else in the guild, Lucy quietly slipped out of the open door and started walking down the street to head home. The last thing she was expected was Tigress to pop out of nowhere to walk beside her. Lucy let out a loud shriek and jumped, nearly falling over herself. She tried to calm her nerves by placing her hand over her heart, "Don't scare me like that!" Her voice was a little whiny from being so embarrassed. Tigress chuckled as she continued to walk with Lucy. She didn't say anything which prompted Lucy to ask, "I don't mean to offend you or anything, but why are you out here?"

Tigress moved a little closer to Lucy so that she could hear her. "I am to understand that you are struggling to comprehend that you have two mates." Lucy slowly nodded, she wasn't sure how she knew that exactly but she let her carry on. "I just wanted to tell you that having a mate is a most wonderful thing and I believe that the people who were gifted with two mates, are very special indeed. I think it means that you are so lovable that it wouldn't be fair to give it all to one person." Lucy was a little conflicted between believing that Tigress' kind words were true or wether she was just saying this to make her feel better.

She didn't have time to ask, given that as soon as she turned to look at her spirit, she was gone. Lucy was even more confused but noticed that she was just outside of her house. With a sigh, she unlocked the front door and walked inside. Immediately, she felt just how warm it was and she took off her cardigan. She sat down on her couch and her eyelids started to feel heavy. Lucy wasn't tired before so she wasn't so sure why she was so desperate for a nap at the moment. Nevertheless, she got up and headed to her bedroom. She was quick to take off her dress, keys and heels, setting them all on a nearby chair. She dressed herself in a simple oversized shirt and got into bed. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep.

_Lucy looked around her room and frowned a little. It was almost the exact same but it was different. The walls had been painted over with a pastel blue colour and her bedsheets were a deep burgundy colour. Other than that, there was nothing different about her bedroom. Confused, she got up and headed to the kitchen. Almost immediately, she felt two strong arms wrap around her from behind. But she wasn't scared. She twisted her head over her shoulder to see whose embrace she was in. Crimson hair and a familiar scar greeted her and she gasped softly. Cobra lowered his head and rested it on Lucy's shoulder, tilting it to the side so he could press soft kisses to her neck. _

_Instead of freaking out, like she usually would, she gave in to her urges and leaned back into Cobra's arms. Her head was tilted back to allow Cobra more access to her neck. Her eyes almost closed from the bliss she was feeling, until she felt another hand gently stroke her cheek. She tilted her head up to look at the person in front of her. Her deep brown eyes landed on a shirtless Bickslow. She blushed but what really stood out was that he wasn't wearing his mask. Lucy was able to see his piercing green eyes and his tattoo over his face. She thought that he looked so much more attractive without that ridiculous mask covering half of his face. _

_Lucy's attention was brought back to Cobra when she felt the two arms around her start to move. It was just then that she realised her outfit had changed. She was no longer dressed in a casual oversized shirt and was now wearing a thin, sheer black babydoll with nothing underneath. One look at Bickslow's face told Lucy that he liked what he saw. Cobra's hands moved teasingly over Lucy's body. They slowly slid underneath the skimpy lingerie and explored her soft skin. His left hand started to make its way up towards her breasts while his right hand was moving closer to the place between her legs. _

_She could only watch as this happened, feeling a familiar sensation in her stomach and felt the heat between her legs grow. A rough hand gripped her chin and forced her to look into Bickslow's eyes. He moved forward until there was only a few centimeters of space in between them. He leaned down and pressed his soft lips against Lucy's. Matched with the kisses littered across her neck, she was unable to stop herself from so desperate and needy. Lucy's arms came up to wrap around Bickslow's broad shoulders to press herself close to him. _

_A soft moan left her lips when she felt Cobra cup her breast in his hand. She closed her eyes in anticipation when she felt his right hand get lower. Without prompting, Lucy spread her legs as an invitation to go further. Long, tanned fingers slowly cupped her-_

Lucy shot up in her bed and panted to catch her breath. She bit her lip as she pressed her thighs together to stop the desire she now felt. She couldn't believe that she had actually had a sex dream about those two... and she liked it. Throwing the covers off herself, Lucy got up and headed to her bathroom, eager to take a bath and clean up. Although Lucy was tempted to take care of her urges herself, she was too embarrassed about the main characters of her erotic dream. It was going to be even harder to face them tomorrow at the guild. Whenever she would see them, she knew that the first thing she would think of was the scene her imagination just acted out.


End file.
